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Scammers are increasingly taking advantage of smartphones and are getting very clever with how they try to take your hard-earned money.
They can even make it look like a legitimate organisation is contacting you via text or a messaging app by using identity masking technology to change the name displayed as the sender. This is known as ‘number spoofing’.
If you get sent a scam message, it’s important you report it so others don’t fall victim. Read more about how to report a scam in our free guide.
Fraudsters can use many different types of of messaging systems and apps, like SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Viber, Skype, Google Hangouts, Snapchat and many any other platforms to try scam you out of your money.
While scammers are getting more cunning at making a scam message look like the real thing, there are some signs you can watch out for. Read our seven tips to avoid messaging scams.
Think about how that organisation normally contacts you and if it isn't via a message, contact them directly to check it's legitimate.
A genuine organisation will never contact you out of the blue and ask you to verify your details, request personal or banking details or tell you to transfer money via a message.
If in doubt, contact the organisation using a number you've found independently of the message.
Genuine organisations will rarely, if ever, make glaring spelling mistakes or grammatical errors, and if so it will usually be an isolated incident.
If the message doesn't look professional, it's probably a scam - even if it drops into a message chain from your bank.
If you follow a link in the message, it could send you to an imposter website set up to steal your money or personal data. In some cases it could even infect your smartphone with malware.
Always look up an organisation's contact details independently and get in touch to verify the message.
If you think you've been targeted by a scam message, don't share any personal information, your banking details or Pin.
Legitimate organisations, such as banks or HMRC, will never ask for your personal or banking details through a message or text.
If you get a message purporting to be from your bank, always treat this with caution. And know the eight things your bank will never ask you.
The British Bankers' Association says your bank will never:
If you're suspicious, always check for their contact details online and get in touch directly to check it really was them.
Make sure you do this via a trusted contact number, such as the one listed on their website or one you've been given in any previous contact you've had with them via email or post.
If you reply, you could alert the scammers to the fact your number is active. This could then mean you'll receive a barrage of unwanted messages.
You should make a note of the number and the content of the message so you can report it, you could even consider taking a screenshot of it as evidence.
Then delete it from your phone.
If you get sent a scam message, it’s important you report it so others don’t fall victim.
You can do this by contacting your mobile provider if it was a SMS. You should also report the scam to Action Fraud, no matter which platform you were contacted on.
Read more about how to report a scam in our free guide.
The scammer targets parents and sends a message from an unknown number, pretending to be from Sarah - or another common woman’s name - and says they’ve been in an accident.
An example reported to Action Fraud reads:
‘Hi it’s Sarah. I need you to do a favour if possible. I had a small accident & broke my fibula & left elbow. Can you text me back once you get this message x’
However, there are many different variations of the scam which involved different emergency scenarios or different women’s names.
The aim is to get you to reply to the message which will send the scammer £20.